Ghost Lights
by Isis Lied
Summary: AU There had always been rumors of a ghost haunting the forgotten castle of giants. When Petra Ral decides to take shelter at the castle overnight during a storm, she finds the terrifying truth behind the rumors— and it may not let her go. Levi/Petra oneshot that may be continued, we'll see.


Ghost Lights  
AU There had always been rumors of a ghost haunting the forgotten castle of giants. When Petra Ral decides to take shelter at the castle overnight during a storm, she finds the terrifying truth behind the rumors— and it may not let her go. Levi/Petra oneshot that may be continued, we'll see.

Genre: Horror, Romance, Supernatural, Drama

A/N: I don't know if I can commit myself to another story, but for now, have a little oneshot :P if enough people wish to see more, than who am I to refuse? XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki No Kyojin— if I did squad Levi would be alive, or at the very least, had more screen time. The title belongs to Woodkid, from the song _Ghost Lights. _Quotes are from Christopher Marlowe's _Doctor Faustus_.

* * *

"_Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris."_

* * *

The rain comes as a surprise.

Her horse neighs meekly at the sudden bouts of thunder, hoofed feet clacking noisily against the fallen leaves. Cursing herself for her own lack of preparation, the auburn-haired girl steers the animal back onto the even path, away from the towering trees and slopping land. The rain is blinding, disorienting, and before she knows it, the familiarly trodden path is gone, replaced with dark shadows and sloshing puddles.

The very air around her seems tight, constricting, as if it plans to keep her trapped in these woods forever. A shiver of fear shudders her lithe frame but she pushes on, amber orbs narrowed in an attempt to see through the sheen of water. It is a few minutes of aimless wandering, a few seconds of doubt, and a single millisecond of nauseating fear before she decides to stop completely, surveying her surroundings.

The forest had always been kind to her. Its trees, oak and pine, were among the tallest in the world- or so she had been told. The great trees had always been comforting, familiar, a reminder of something (an edge of a dream, almost, except much more real) from long ago. But now, coupled with the sudden storm and her skittish horse, Petra wished for nothing more than to make it out of the forest alive.

Tipping her head back, she can just make out the moon beneath the layers of grey clouds, intermixed with the dust of stars and dreams (she had always been a bit starry-eyed— wishing on feathers and flowers and stars though she knew nothing would come of it). The light, now free from the barring canopy of trees, gives her just enough sight to observe the forest's only man-made landmark: the castle of giants.

Its real name had been lost long ago, before maps and charts and villages, but it was undoubtedly real. Tales of it being an old military post to housing a ghost (one of the newer, more frequent rumors) were on the lips of the neighboring villagers' tongues. Not that Petra believed a word of it.

She found superstitions and gossip to be nothing more than petty ways to squander time. Odds were that it was just an abandoned castle, forgotten by time and even those who owned it. Somehow slipping through the cracks of centuries, the stone castle was now just a landmark, a crumbling relic nestled in the marrow of giant trees.

Steering her horse in the direction of the castle, the animal quickly galloped forward, soft neighs bleeding into the sound of the rain.

* * *

The grand oak doors open with a surprising quietness. The whole castle speaks of a gentle quiescence, layered in cobwebs and dust. The girl feels as if she is trespassing, stepping over a threshold into some old, forgotten place where deities slept beneath broken chairs and crumbling columns.

Despite the absurdity of it, Petra calls out into the echoing darkness, "Hello...?"

Her voice rings hollow through the large foyer, interrupted only by the tap tap of her riding boots against the tile floors. Straining to see in the dark, Petra finds a lantern and a box of matches perched on a table. For a moment, she entertains the notion that the items had been left specifically for her before shaking away the irrational thought with a quipped laugh that only she can hear.

She knows that the castle has probably been void of people for ages, all too afraid to venture inside its depths. Yet, she rationalizes the lantern as proof that others had come here to rest at some time despite the rumors. Perhaps a merry band of thieves or merchants (or both) had passed through these very halls, leaving behind a lantern in their haste when daylight came.

Shrugging, the auburn-haired girl twisted the knob on the lantern, finding that the gas did work, once lit with the match. The foyer smelled now of smoke, much to her chagrin, as she coughed, wrinkling her nose.

The sound echoed, bouncing off the walls much like the light from the lantern. Its orange glow was a warm comfort from the cold and dampness of the storm, which continued to howl on outside the castle. Shivering, Petra walked further into the manor, not noticing the flash of white a few steps behind her.

"It's about fucking time..."

Petra swung around, searching for the source of the sound, willing her pulse to slow. Her only guess was the picture frame of a man with dark hair and cold eyes. It had fallen slightly, hanging limply against the wall by the staircase. The amber-eyed girl shivered, feeling as if the man's gaze followed her even after she ascended the stairs.

_Get a hold of yourself! Ghosts don't exist! _She chastised her scatterbrained self, focusing the light of the lantern to the path in front of her. The antique staircase creaked with her every step, startling the auburn-haired girl just as easily as the random gusts of howling wind that rattled the large, paned windows. On the last flight of stairs she resorted to sprinting, ignoring the rotting steps as she turned to see a long, viridian hallway.

It seemed to stretch on forever, shadowed by the ever-present dark. The wallpapered patterns of green echoed of a vast fortune, along with the expensive art that still clung to it, despite the cobwebs. Gulping, Petra tried the first door on the right, finding that the gold doorknob refused to budge. Frowning, she tried the next door; it too was locked from the inside.

"Damnit…" She cursed, kicking at the final door on the right. To her surprise, the oak gave way, revealing what appeared to be the master bedroom. The room glittered in jewels and untarnished gold, sheets of satin pressed thinly to the canopy bed. There wasn't a single hint of dust.

Taking a step forward, the door slammed behind her. Petra reached for the doorknob, shaky fingers pulling against it to no avail. Eventually, she slumped down in a heap of tiredness and despair, setting the lantern beside her. From the new vantage point, she could just make out a line of red, which hid just under the black ottoman pressed against the elegant footboard.

Rising to her feet, the auburn-haired girl pushed the ottoman away, revealing a crimson circle. The woman gasped, letting the lantern fall from her hands. The fire continued to flicker inside its glass container, landing upright in what appeared to be a show of good fortune. Picking it up, Petra winced, cutting herself on an edge of chipped glass; the jolt of hitting solid wood must have cracked a portion of the glass covering that kept the flame contained.

The blood dripped from her finger in a steady tap, landing in the center of the circle. Cradling the wound to her chest, the girl licked it clean, unaware of the sudden rumbling under her. The circle glowed a bright crimson, revealing a series of unreadable Latin characters, followed by a pentagram.

Startled, Petra backed away until she hit the locked door, watching with horror as waves of smoke slowly filled the room. She coughed, squinting to see through the heavy grey. Immediately, the shadowed figure took shape, causing a loud cry to fall from the girl's lips.

"Shut up." A low voice quipped. Stepping from the summoning circle was the same man from the portrait downstairs. His eyes seemed even colder in the flesh, and the pair of ivory goat horns that grew from his head only added to his menacing appearance. With dark, talon-like nails, pointed ears, and pale face, there was no mistaking what the man was: a demon.

"No… stay back!" Petra yelled, bringing her arms up in a defensive position. _This can't be real—monsters don't exist!_ The demon frowned, taking a step forward despite her pleas.

"I said stop your screeching. It's fucking annoying." He reiterated, voice sharper this time.

He was at her side in a flash, long claws reaching towards her face. Petra could only stare back in fear as the demon's cold fingers brushed against her jawline, sliding down to her throat. Her screams faded to choked sobs, small frame shaking with fear. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable moment when the claws would pierce her throat and end her life in a wave of sickly crimson.

But, it never came.

Hesitantly opening an eye, she found that the demon's hand rested now on his cheek as he kneeled in front of her, expression neutral. Slowly, a smile flitted onto his lips, one that revealed a pair of sharp fangs.

"Good… human brats should be quiet."

Dumbfounded, Petra remained still, even as the demon gave an annoyed huff, rising to his feet. It was then that she saw the dark arrow-tipped tail, swishing behind him in a flurry of movement as he paced the room. His eyes darted towards her on more than one occasion while he muttered to himself, clawed finger perched on his chin in concentration.

"The whole mansion is a mess…"

"Tch… I'm going to have to hire more servants— all the old ones are probably dead… Or I could just use my familiars…"

"Great. Just fucking great."

"Umm…" Petra interjected, once she found her voice. She shakily returned to her feet, determination set in her hazel eyes.

The demon paused from his pacing, frowning. "Oh, I forgot about you; get the hell out of here unless you wanna die."

The girl shook her head. "Y-you can't just expect me to leave! You—you came out of that circle!" She blubbered, head swimming. None of the past few seconds felt even remotely real; it was like floating in a lucid dream, except the man in front of her was _too _real. Too inhuman.

The dark-haired man rolled his eyes. "Observant, I see. I came out of that circle because I am a demon. Now go before I change my mind and kill you."

He turned to his right, mumbling a few words before three shadowed figures emerged from the floor. They eventually took on human shapes, revealing three men. The first, once the dark miasma rolled off of him, had the appearance of a man with light colored hair and grey eyes. He immediately bowed, a flurry of excited ramblings escaping his lips.

"I'm so glad to see you, Levi! It was dreadfully boring, waiting in that circle without being able to talk to you. Is your host fine? I can find a more suitable body—"

"Quiet, Auruo. I need you to clean up this place. You too, Gunter, Erd." He motioned to the other two shadows.

"Figures… not that I'm going to complain, king." The blonde man known as Erd replied, dipping into a formal bow before exiting the room through the wall— disappearing like a phantom.

"Alright. Come on, Auruo. And try to be more courteous, for once. Calling the king Levi, when we all know his true name… how ridiculous." The dark-skinned familiar muttered, pulling Auruo away by the back of his collar.

"Nooo! I just got to see Levi— I mean Leviathan, and— OWW!" He stopped, letting out a strangled yelp as he harshly bit his tongue. He disappeared through the wall with a wail, hands reaching for the dark-haired demon.

"Tch, a century passes and they're still nuisances." Levi observed, onyx eyes set upon the petite woman once again.

"I thought I told you to leave. Unless you're really that desperate to lose your soul."

She shook her head obstinately. "I… I still don't believe you. Demons, phantoms, monsters, none of this can be real!" She had gone twenty-one years believing that all superstitions were mere wives tales and stories; it wouldn't all crumble in one night due to some fancy, theatrical illusion!

The man gave a snort, prying open the locked door with a single clawed hand. "Then what? This is all some dream? Some horrible hallucination?"

"No… it could all be staged. This is just some elaborate illusion. Something a bit more complicated than a parlor trick, but—"

"Bullshit," Levi started, making a sudden realization. "Hold on, I think I have something that could benefit both of us."

He motioned to the circle, which still glowed brightly against the moth-bitten floors. "This is my seal. You've already dropped blood on it to awaken me so the process of making a contract is already half way done. How about we make a deal?"

"Which would entail?" She questioned, curiosity finally taking over her. Perhaps it was due to her lack of sleep or usual brashness, but she would listen to what he had to offer; even if there was something deep in her gut telling her to run, to leave the abandoned castle alone, with all its fake ghosts and demons.

"If I can make you believe in the supernatural in two years' time, I get your soul. But, if I am unable to, you will earn all the riches in this castle— and more."

_If this is the case, then this is a win-win situation. Souls don't exist—they're as real as demons and ghosts. _She rationalized, nodding her head.

"I accept these terms…" She trailed off, looking to the raven-haired man expectantly.

"I go by the name Leviathan. But Levi's fine; you're no familiar, after all." He gave a sharp grin, setting out his own clawed hand.

_You're so much more._

The auburn-haired girl smiled back, oblivious to the deceit in his eyes. "Nice to meet you, Levi. I'm Petra Ral. And I'll prove that this is all just a trick."

A dark chuckle escaped his lips. "I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

"_It is a comfort to the wretched to have companions in misery."_

* * *

A/N: Heh, Petra's a bit dense, huh :P Her personality in this AU is based a bit off of Christopher Marlowe's character, Faustus (from the play). Can you believe this story was supposed to be a comedy at first? I had this image of Levi darting around the castle and cleaning things in the dead of night and freaking out everyone in his squad (especially Eren). And he doesn't tell anyone that he's just cleaning and pretends that he doesn't hear anything. I dunno, the idea just progressed until it became a monster— literally, lol XD perhaps I'll get to writing that funny fic someday, but I hope this oneshot was enjoyable, nevertheless ^^'

And yes, the demons in this story are based somewhat on the ones in Blue Exorcist XD

Also, please let me know if you'd like to see a continuation, etc. in a review or pm! Thanks :3

-Isis


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